by Suzi Davis
My heart was heavy with sadness as I realized the truth. He didn’t have any natural ability to use The Lost Magic, he couldn’t. He was running from it even when he couldn’t remember it. And if he did remember, would he run from me too?
“I love you,” he whispered into my hair.
I pulled myself even tighter against him.
“I love you too. Don’t run away from me again, please.”
He didn’t answer, he just sighed into my hair.
I knew I could never tell Sebastian the truth. He didn’t want to believe it but more importantly, he didn’t want to hear it. I was miserable. It seemed so unfair that this destiny had been thrown upon me with all these unwanted powers and responsibilities. How could I have a destiny that didn’t include Sebastian? It didn’t make sense and so I stubbornly refused to accept it. I would ignore the Lost Magic, I would push it away and refuse to allow it to be a part of my life so long as it was not a part of Sebastian’s.
In the following days, Sebastian and I spent a great deal of time pretending that nothing was wrong. We made wedding plans, went on dates, I even called in sick to work so that we could spend all day together. It should have been fun and at times, I almost enjoyed myself but in the back of my mind, I couldn’t forget the expression on Sebastian’s face when he had stabbed Clarke in front of me. It was like a nightmare that was on continuous replay in my mind. It haunted my every waking thought.
As the days turned into weeks, it was obvious that Sebastian and David didn’t remember the truth of what had happened with Clarke and I could safely assume that Clarke himself didn’t remember. I didn’t hear from Clarke at all, as I had requested, but I did hear through my mother that he and Tanya were enjoying Jamaica. Clarke’s mother had spoken with him on the phone shortly after they arrived at their destination and since she and my mother were still friends, my mother kept me up-to-date. I was happy for him.
I tried not to think about the Lost Magic. I ignored the tingling that continuously raced through my veins. I pushed aside the knowledge that I could attain anything that I truly wanted, that any and all my struggles were truly unnecessary. All I really wanted was for things to feel normal again, for Sebastian to be happy and for us to get married and go live somewhere else, somewhere far away from here where we could leave David, the magic, and all our troubles far behind us. I couldn’t do it though. I refused to use the magic; I refused to manipulate my future that way. I tried my best to pretend everything was normal and for a while, I was almost convinced that I could live this way.
“Are you happy?” I asked Sebastian one day. We were sitting on a bench along the waterfront—not far from my mother’s house—sipping steaming coffees and gazing out over the gray ocean. Sebastian frowned at my question.
“Of course I am. I’m with you.”
“Are you still having nightmares?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he responded firmly, confirming my suspicions. Worry gnawed at my gut.
“You need to talk to someone about it, Sebastian.”
“I am. I’ve been talking to David and Mr. Jenson.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“I didn’t realize you and David were speaking again,” I stated. There had been an obvious rift in their friendship since the day David had attempted to intervene between Sebastian and Clarke.
“He apologized a few days ago,” Sebastian announced, surprising me even more. I couldn’t imagine David apologizing, especially when he really hadn’t done anything wrong. Still… I supposed it was good that he was talking to someone about his troubles, even if it were David and not me.
“I’m glad you’ve been talking to Mr. Jenson too. Has he had any useful advice?”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Grace,” Sebastian repeated, gently but firmly. His comment stung.
“You’ll talk to them but not me?”
“Yes. Sorry,” he added when he noticed my expression. He forced a smile and reached out to lightly stroke my cheek. “I don’t want you to worry.” He quickly kissed my lips, breaking away before I could object and returning to his silent brooding. I wasn’t worried; I was beyond worried. I was afraid and concerned and confused. With no one to confide in about the return of my memories and the Lost Magic, and no idea what to do, I felt so lost and alone. I just wanted someone to talk to, someone who would understand and could offer me some advice. My prayers were answered when she came to me in my dreams that night.
I had fallen asleep, tossing and turning, worrying about Sebastian and our future together. My dreams were full of fragmented images and emotions, blurring and wrapping around one another in a distorted, entangled mess. I must have finally relaxed enough to fall into a deeper sleep because suddenly, my dreams took on a different tone. Calming gray fog rolled through my mind, surrounding me in a fuzzy, soft haze of light as if I were floating in the center of a cloud. It was the strangest dream I had ever experienced as I was both aware and unaware that I was sleeping. A voice drifted through the dense fog towards me.
“Caoilinn, what are you doing?” She sounded irritated, her low voice a near growl. I spun around in the dream cloud, searching for the source of the familiar, forgotten voice.
“My name is Gracelynn,” I corrected. My words seemed to be stifled by the cloud, thrown back into my own ears.
“Well, at least you know your present name even if you have forgotten who you are.”
I turned in the direction of the scornful sound but saw nothing.
“I know who I am,” I retorted, feeling slightly ridiculous arguing with this bizarre dream-cloud before me. I suddenly realized how strange it was to recognize this as a dream, to know that it wasn’t real even as I stood there and participated. “Who are you?” I demanded.
“I’ve been watching you, Gracelynn. I’ve been watching you and Sebastian. I see what’s happening. It’s not too late to stop it but you need to accept your destiny, you need to harness the powers that you have been given. There is still hope.” The voice came from every direction, it filled the cloud of light around me. Her voice was so familiar but my mind wouldn’t let me place the familiarity within my muddled memories.
“Guide those who seek you out. Embrace your destiny. You must find a way to save Sebastian.” The voice was fading, the fog was thinning. I began to feel panicked.
“Save him from what? What do you mean? How can I help him?”
Silence answered me. I wanted to scream.
“I don’t know what to do! Please, help me! I can’t do this alone,” I cried, realizing my fears and admitting my weaknesses aloud. And just as the last wisp of fog unraveled and began to fade away, I heard a voice as thin and airy as the wind breathe into my ear, “David. He is the key.”
“David? I don’t understand.”
But there was no response. I was alone. The light, the cloud, the fog: it was all gone. The dream was over. My eyes flew open.
It was still dark out but a quick glance at my alarm clock told me it was 6am. I flicked on my bedside lamp and rubbed my eyes, a weary ache already building behind them.
David is the key. The words echoed in my mind. What did it mean? And who was it that had invaded my dreams: another of the dead priestesses? Or a different spirit? Could she be trusted?
I slowly sat up, feeling exhausted even after a full night’s rest. And that was when I noticed it.
The chair from my writing desk had been pulled out and positioned at the foot of my bed. Someone had sat, watching me again as I slept. Goosebumps prickled all over my skin. I was about to run from the room when I noticed a small object left directly in the center of the chair’s seat. I hesitated, then moved towards it.
As I got closer, I recognized it as a tiny charm from a bracelet my father had given me on my tenth birthday. The bracelet had been tucked away in my jewelry box; I hadn’t worn it for many years but I had saved it. My hands trembled as I reached for it now.
The charm that had been taken off my old b
racelet and left for me on the center of the chair was a small, silver key.
The message was clear. The spirits were watching me still. They had given me the key, now it was time for me to use it. I picked it up with trembling hands and hurriedly put it away back in my jewelry box, out of sight but not out of mind. I knew I had no choice about what to do next. I needed to speak with David.
I knocked on his bedroom door expectantly, with no concern over the early hour. Sebastian had been going running in the mornings lately and though David never went with him, I knew he would be up.
“Sebastian’s not here,” David called, his voice muffled from inside the room.
I pushed the door open, letting myself in. David looked up in surprise. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, fully dressed, his hair damp still from the shower.
“I know he’s not here. I came to speak with you.” I closed the door behind me and sat down across from him on Sebastian’s neatly made bed. David eyed me warily.
“Oh? I was under the impression that you did not wish to speak to me. Haven’t you been avoiding me lately?” He watched me coolly, his eyes hard, his face expressionless. I refused to be intimidated.
“Yes. But now I’m ready to talk—I need to talk.”
“I’m listening.”
“It’s about Sebastian…” I began.
“Isn’t it always?”
I ignored David’s interruption and continued.
“I’m worried about him. He’s been acting so strangely: always brooding and disappearing on his own. I know he barely sleeps and his headaches are obviously getting worse. He seems so confused and so angry all the time but he won’t talk to me about it.”
“Grace, I won’t betray Sebastian’s trust,” David warned.
“I’m not asking you to. I just want you to tell me how I can help him.” I struggled to speak normally, to resist the nearly overpowering desire to twist a thread of magic through my words, to force him to give me the answer.
“I’m sorry but I don’t know. Just give him some time.”
I searched David’s face, desperately wanting more answers, wanting to unlock the secrets hidden within his mind but I couldn’t. I had promised myself I wouldn’t. I sighed, disappointed but also irritated. Some “key” he was.
“What’s wrong?” David’s bright eyes studied me intently. He slid to the edge of his bed, his knees just inches from mine. “I can see there’s something else bothering you; it’s not just Sebastian. You can trust me, you know.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
He watched me steadily with eyes that were just a little too knowing and definitely too intense. I was starting to feel uncomfortably aware of how close we sat.
“Do you trust yourself?” he asked quietly, his eyes smoldering.
My traitorous heart skipped a beat. Words eluded me as he caught me completely off guard. What did he mean?
A knock at the door made us both turn.
“David, are you up?” Mrs. Jenson called softly from the other side.
He quickly stood and opened the door. Mrs. Jenson stood in the hall, dressed and ready for work, her car keys and purse in hand.
“I’m up,” he answered, politely.
“Oh good. There are two young men at the door, asking for you. I would have sent them away but since they insisted they’re friends of yours, and we all know you’re an early riser… Grace? What are you doing in here?” Mrs. Jenson blurted out in surprise.
I flushed, refusing to acknowledge why I felt guilty. No wonder Mrs. Jenson looked so scandalized. It was just after 6am and I was in my pajamas in David’s room.
“I wanted to speak with David privately about something, while Sebastian was out on his run,” I explained as honestly as I could.
“Oh… of course,” Mrs. Jenson blushed also. She flashed me a quick, apologetic smile.
“I’ll go down and see them now,” David interrupted. There was an edge of excitement to his words that caught my attention.
“Did David’s friends tell you their names?” I asked Mrs. Jenson curiously as he strode off down the hall.
“Yes, Nate and Jay or something like that. Now, I must get going to work. Have a good day, Grace and please…” she hesitated, blushing again. “I don’t think you should be in the boys’ room with the door closed like that. What would Sebastian have thought?”
“No, you’re right. Sorry,” I muttered, distracted. Propriety was the least of my worries right now. There was something about those names that just wasn’t sitting right. “Wait!” I gasped. Icy cold fear slid down my spine. Mrs. Jenson spun back around. “Were their names Nathaniel and Jai?”
My heart pounded in my ears as I waited for Mrs. Jenson to respond.
“Yes, that sounds about right. Do you know them?” she asked, looking puzzled.
“Which door?”
“Um… the kitchen door but why…”
I took off running before she had finished, sprinting down the stairs. Two of the Others were here, asking for David (their former leader) when they shouldn’t even be able to remember his name. Which could mean only one thing: they had their memories back and they might be able to restore David’s.
I couldn’t let that happen.
Chapter Seven – Stirring Shadows
As I raced through the Jensons’ house, I gathered the ancient magic that trembled through out my body and focused it to a small point through the tiny amber heart in my necklace. Niamh’s spirit had said that the amber stone wasn’t necessary for me to focus my powers anymore but old habits die hard. The pendant throbbed and burned with power, a dagger poised for the kill. As I burst into the kitchen, I was ready for anything.
I skidded around the corner and then froze.
“Grace?” David cocked his head to one side. He was in the process of filling the kettle. Nathaniel and Jai sat at the kitchen table, empty tea cups before them. They both stared at me curiously. Jai smiled, a little too warmly, his large, almond eyes were bright.
“Do you remember me?” I demanded, my voice hard and unfriendly. Nathaniel opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off. “Tell me the truth.” My words pierced the air, laced with magic and demanding to be obeyed. Nathaniel paled and dropped his eyes, his messy brown hair falling into his face.
“Not exactly,” Jai hedged in his smooth, English accent. He sounded a lot calmer than he looked.
“Manners, Grace,” David chastised as he flipped the switch on the kettle. “This is Grace. She and her fiancé, Sebastian, also survived the explosion. We all live together here,” he explained to them. He turned back to me. “Jai and Nathaniel have traveled all the way here from Italy. They are also survivors of the explosion at the Necromanteion, though I expect you already knew that. Nathaniel was just telling me how they came across my name and whereabouts before you so rudely interrupted. Tea?”
My eyes were still locked with Jai’s. I imagined many secrets were hidden behind them. As it was, the two obviously posed no immediate threat and it wasn’t like I couldn’t deal with them… if I used the Lost Magic. Despite my readiness to throw all forms of ancient magic and spells at them, I had no desire to do so unless absolutely necessary. I was still trying, perhaps in vain, not to use the magic, not to let it become a part of my life.
“Sure, tea would be good,” I murmured, moving slowly to lean against the counter. It felt absurd to be planning on sipping tea while in a room with three of the most dangerous men I could imagine, or they had once been anyway. But I needed answers and I was sure these two had some.
Jai nodded to Nathaniel.
“Well, actually, we only came looking for you, David, to see if you knew the whereabouts of a girl who was also in the explosion. A girl with an amber necklace,” Nathaniel spoke quietly, his hair still in his face. I felt all of their eyes go to me, to my hand resting upon the pendant that hung about my neck. Silence settled over the room, the only sound that of the kettle’s water slowly bubbling and boiling, steam pour
ing from its spout. The kettle’s sudden shrill whistling broke the tense moment.
“Why were you looking for Grace?” David asked as he moved the kettle off the stove. I hurried to speak before either Jai or Nathaniel could answer.
“How did you find out about David? Didn’t you suffer memory loss from the explosion?” I quizzed.
“Yes, we did—we do,” Jai quickly corrected. “After the explosion, we were kept in the same room at the hospital, both under observation for several days. We became friends, though we are both fairly certain we were friends before all of this. We left the hospital together and had not only the exact same symptoms—headaches, memory loss, strange dreams—but we also had the same questions.”
“I began doing some research,” Nathaniel joined in shyly. “We couldn’t find any information about the other survivors, except for their ages, genders and injuries. But then I found out someone else had been researching, someone else was asking the same questions that I was: a young man, from Victoria, BC, named David. And so we came to talk to you.”
“To see if I could lead you to her?” David nodded his head in my direction as his hands were full carrying the tea and cups to the table.
“We wanted to speak with you, to see if you had any more information than we did. But our prime reason was to find her,” Jai finished, his eyes resting on me.
“Why?” David demanded and before I could stop him, Nathaniel spoke.
“Because we both dreamt of her, the same dream. A young woman stood before us in the depths of the Necromanteion, her face hidden in shadows but the torchlight flaring brightly behind her and her amber necklace glowing. And she spoke a vow that echoed in both our minds with the tones of prophecy. She promised to guide us, to give us all the answers we seek, to reveal all the secrets that have been hidden. Then a few nights ago—”